Page 30 of Intangible
“What? This is backup, just in case. Just snacks really.” Rolling her eyes, she hopped inside for the short drive.
At the office, he picked up a pair of muck boots his receptionist brought for her to borrow. They were a little big, but she could still wear them comfortably.
The morning went smoothly as they worked their way through two routine wellness calls. Thayer stood fascinated as he pregnancy checked a small herd of cows using ultrasound. The machine not only told him if the cow was having a calf, but how far along it was. The rancher ran a chute that held the cow still so Memphis didn’t get kicked standing behind it.
For her part, she managed to pet every single one of their heads as they stood there waiting to be released. She was positive it made the process slower, but neither one of the men seemed to mind.
Memphis also had her help corral a new litter of puppies so he could give them their first shots. He explained to her that if the farmer was going to pay for a farm call, he tried to do as much as he could while he was there.
Quite often, he treated as many as five or six different animal species at a visit. If there was just one animal that needed tended to, they usually were brought to his office for treatment. It explained why his office had a complete set of pens, several stalls and a working chute in the back of the clinic.
They were between calls at lunchtime, so Memphis parked near a pond so they could sit on the tailgate to watch the geese. He pulled out bags of cut sausage, cheese, crackers, and grapes out of the cooler. Wrapping a blanket over her legs so she wouldn’t get cold, he poured her a mug of hot chocolate he had brought.
“I can’t believe how much there is to do on these calls. It’s barely noon and I’m already wiped out,” Thayer said between bites. “Is it like this all the time?”
“Mostly. Sometimes it’s not as busy as others. It all depends on what time of the season it is. When everything starts having babies, it can get really hectic. But in the middle of summer, it’s not too bad.”
“So what do you do when it slows down?” she asked.
“Not much,” Memphis answered with a laugh. “You saw the town on the way here, right? There’s a post office, diner, small library, hair salon, grocery store, a bar, several churches, and the schools. Not too much else around here. Sometimes I go watch the little league games in the summer just to have something to do.”
“After everything that’s happened, that sounds like a perfect day,” Thayer said, smiling at him.
By the end of the afternoon, Thayer had managed to fall in the mud twice while trying to catch piglets on a farm. It had rained in the night making the pen they were in the equivalent of a muddy skating rink. The farmer had laughed as hard as she had as they chased down the pigs before sliding inside the barn to hand them off to Memphis.
She was covered in mud and smelled a little funny, but was ridiculously happy. She understood what appealed to Memphis about living as a rural farm vet. Carrying the last of the piglets into the barn to be checked, they said their goodbyes before heading back to his truck.
“Stand here by the truck so I can help you take off your coveralls,” Memphis said. Using the water hose attached to his truck, he wet a washcloth to remove most of the mud from her face. “I don’t think I can do much about what’s in your hair. It’s only about a half-hour drive home though.”
He unzipped the coveralls, pulling them down to her knees before picking her up by the waist to sit on the passenger seat. When he had pulled her boots off along with the coveralls, she spun in her seat, sliding her legs under her. At least she had worn a pair of yoga pants under them.
It was already dark when they made it back to the cabin. “Stay there. I’ll come around and help you,” Memphis said, parking the truck in front of the steps to the porch. Hopping out, he walked around the front of the truck as she opened her door. Scooping her into his arms, he deposited her on the porch. “The door should be open. I’ll grab our stuff then be in.”
“I’m heading for the shower,” Thayer said as she bounded to the door. Quickly giving Murphy a pat on the head, she walked inside. The mess that greeted her in the mirror was right out of a horror movie. Memphis had made a valiant effort to remove most of the mud, but a lot of it was still spread across her face. Her braided hair was matted with it, making it hard to separate.
Dropping her clothes on the floor, she turned on the water to near scalding before climbing into the shower. When the water finally ran clean, she turned off the taps. Opening the clear glass door, she stepped out to find Memphis standing just inside the door, his eyes grew wide as he froze to stare at her.
“Sorry,” he said with a shake of his head. “I... shirt?” He laid one of his flannel shirts on the counter before turning around. “Sorry,” he mumbled, walking out of the bathroom. She grinned when she heard him add, “Not really that sorry.”
Quickly pulling the shirt over her head, she gathered up her dirty clothes, dropping them in the hamper before walking into the kitchen. Memphis was bent over the stove, madly stirring something in a pot.
“What are you cooking?” Thayer asked, looking into the pot. Startled, he spun toward her with a wooden spoon dripping with chili. Narrowly escaping being smeared with dinner, she laughed, jumping back. “Whoa! I almost had to take another shower. How about if I go sit at the bar?”
“Sorry. I was heating some chili. It’s almost ready.”
“Why don’t I keep an eye on it so you can go shower? We can sit on the couch and watch a movie while we eat.”
“That’s probably a good idea.” Memphis crossed to the bedroom in a few quick strides.
* * *
Placing both hands on the counter in the bathroom, he leaned in close to the mirror. “You have got to get your shit together. Last night was a one-time thing.”
Stripping off his clothes, he turned the taps on, barely past freezing. Maybe a cold shower would help. When he felt close to normal, he flipped the water to hot, reaching for his shampoo.
“Do you always mumble to yourself in the shower?”
Memphis jumped, opening his eyes. “Thayer!” He quickly shut his eyes again as shampoo ran into them, causing them to burn. Sticking his head under the showerhead, he worked at rinsing the shampoo off.
